Scuba expert dives into new Peoria business

by Allie Seligman - Oct. 8, 2012 08:31 AMThe Republic | azcentral.com

Paul Wagenseller took up scuba diving on a whim.

He was 8 and saw "The Silent World," a 1956 film by oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, at a Scottsdale theater and longed to dive under the water. His mom enrolled him in a program, and he was scuba-certified later that year.

Now, 40 years of experience later, Wagenseller co-owns and manages Scuba Pros of Arizona, at 9299 W. Olive Ave, Suite 816, in Peoria. The shop, which opened late last month, has the only pool in state that mimics currents on the surface and under water, he said.

He developed a following early since he started the sport at such a young age. He would go on trips with other drivers and eventually built a large network of divers.

Most of Wagenseller's career was spent running Scuba Sciences, a Phoenix shop that closed abruptly last April.

"It wasn't financial, because we were busy," he said, but the owner closed the store for personal reasons.

"I was left with nothing the next day," he said.

So, for a year and a half, Wagenseller came up with a plan for his own shop -- one he would run exactly how he wanted, with accessible hours, a pool built for scuba diving and top-of-the-line equipment.

"A year and a half not working, you get a lot of ideas," he said. "We were able to build something much better than we had before."

Wagenseller began researching locations for the new store last summer. He decided early on the West Valley as the place to be.

He can now reach customers in cities such as Peoria, Glendale, Surprise and El Mirage, a demographic that hasn't had close access to a scuba shop before.

"There really hasn't been anybody out here to do this," he said.

It also puts the shop closer to Lake Pleasant, where diver trainers can take people looking to become certified.

In the past, Wagenseller would would spend nearly every weekend in California certifying divers. With the sluggish economy, those trips are fewer and divers are using local lakes, he said.

He first looked at properties in the Arrowhead area, but the cost to purchase a building was too high. Then he found the Olive Business Park.

"I actually sat in the parking lot for a whole day to see how many people went in and out," he said. "After a while I realized this would be a good place for retail," a big part of the scuba business.

The building was also affordable, and Wagenseller went to work securing permits to build the pool.

Navigating Peoria's fire codes and other regulations was difficult, he said, but eventually he got the go-ahead to dig 20 feet underground and started in July.

At 8 feet, they found the ground was all sand.

"We kept digging and it would fall," he said. They dug even deeper and lined the pit with concrete, then built the pool.

Most scuba shops open as retail stores and rent pools nearby to train divers. Most of those pools aren't optimal for diving, though, Wagenseller said. The shops will then build a pool once the business is established.

For Wagenseller, though, it was important to make the pool the center of the operation. Knowing many of his customers from Scuba Sciences were waiting for his new venture made that an easier choice to make.

"They stayed with me for a year and a half," he said. "I was just shocked."

Many of his employees also are holdovers from Scuba Sciences. Some got temporary positions while he worked on the plans for Scuba Pros.

"We gave all these people their jobs back, and that was a big thing," he said. "They're doing the thing they love to do."

The shop is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Open by appointment on Sundays. Call 602-314-6650 or visit www.scubaproaz.com for more information.